And The Ashes Remain
by angelicmethod
Summary: The Volturi have been defeated - but what happens when Jacob and Nessie's happiness is once again threatened by the uprising of vampires hell-bent on taking over where the Volturi left off? Can Jake win this fight? Sequel to Stand There And Watch Me Burn.
1. Chapter 1 Everything Good

**Hello, hello! This is it – the Sequel! Thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing Stand There And Watch Me Burn and sticking with me to get here! If you haven't read the aforementioned story – you will not understand what is taking place in this one, so I implore you to head on over and read that one first. This story is Rated M for a reason – foul language and other dirty things… Hint, Hint.**

**This story is dedicated to all of my readers who have encouraged me through some pretty trying times – I love you all very much and can't thank you enough!**

**You know the drill, I'm not her, and I don't own it and I never claimed Twilight was mine! All I do claim is the story line here – that came from my mind! Plagiarism sucks ya'll, and a woman I read religiously – mama4dukes – has been copied. Her stories are amazing and funny and all come from her mind. To steal someone's work discourages them from writing – so please be respectful…**

**Jacob's POV – Everything Good (Prologue)**

Time was passing quickly now – it seemed like only yesterday I had found out that Nessie shared my feelings for her and we'd become a couple. Everything after that had moved so fast that it almost seemed hard to catch my breath. We'd gone from being a couple to being engaged to getting married all in less than 5 months – and then we found out we were going to be parents.

That was one of the oddest feelings ever to tell you the truth – we'd never put any thought into it really, we'd just come together and made love and - _Bam! -_ We were going to be parents. And of course, I couldn't do anything small as Peter would say. We weren't just going to be parents – we were going to have twins. I was ecstatic but nervous – I wasn't sure how to be a father, but I would do my best to be good at it.

We'd had all those good things, but we'd also faced some pretty tough times as well. Life, it seemed, wasn't all roses and fluffy bunnies and all that cute shit.

I'd lost my father in an accident, I'd been kidnapped by a sick and sadistic vampire hell bent on world domination and then I'd found out that I was a true Alpha with powers that I'd had no idea I'd possessed. I'd faced my Grandfather on the other side for him to tell me that I had a destiny to fulfill and bring vampires and shifters together – as one.

We were no longer enemies (most of us) and I then expanded my pack to include vampires. Our 'pack' then came together with other vampires who wanted to help defend us and we took down the Volturi. The war – that one, at least, was over - For now.

All in all, life seemed to be rolling along quite nicely since that ordeal – but I wasn't let my guard down, not even for a second. I wasn't foolish enough to believe that trouble wouldn't somehow find us again – and now we also had two more humans to worry about that were brought into the loop of our crazy-ass life.

Charlie and Sue were now regulars in our lives – though Sue had always been privy to certain information because of Leah and Seth, we now had to worry about Charlie. He'd at one time considered changing – making the transition into Bella's life on a more permanent basis. That was until Sue had talked to him and told him the truth about how she felt about him. They'd fallen in love despite the desire Charlie had to still remain involved in what was going on with the pack and Bella.

Though Charlie no longer wanted to become a vampire – he had made sure to tell me that it didn't change the fact that he wanted to help us in any way he could. Sue, of course, thought the gesture was romantic and such a 'fatherly' thing to do.

_Why couldn't anything ever work the way I wanted them to?_

They were completely inseparable – and so that meant that because Charlie wanted to be involved, Sue was also now involved with everything as well.

_Of course…_

It was nice having her around though to help cook for a huge pack of ravenous wolves. Bella, being a vampire, no longer liked to cook because the smell got to her.

"_It's disgusting, Jacob – please don't make me do it."_ She'd begged. I'd simply let her off the hook and asked the other girls if they could do without Bella's help – they'd all agreed.

Nessie did her fair share of helping when she could – and the other imprints were working hard to take care of all of us, so it was nice to have the extra set of hands in the kitchen. Not to mention Sue was a fucking amazing cook.

But it didn't stop there. Because nothing in my life was easy, it just couldn't be simple and straight forward – there had to be some sort of fucking monkey wrench thrown in there somewhere to make me think on my toes. Though the fact that Charlie had years of experience in the field of being a cop didn't hurt if we needed to find someone or have access to files that were otherwise closed to the outside world. Huge plus – not to mention Emmett and Jasper had some serious hacker skills, too.

But no, my life was definitely not simple – because it was now coming down to the wire to figure out what to do about Italy and what needed to be done to bring our races together once and for all.

How had I ever thought that my life was boring or un-interesting? Before I'd shifted for the first time I'd never thought I led a very 'cool' existence. Hell, all I could think about now was how crazy it all was that we'd thought there was some sort of cult on the reservation. It all happened so fast after that – and my life was never the same again.

We'd faced down vampires out for Bella's blood, we'd faced down enemies together – and now we were all just trying to live our lives together as a pack. Imprints, shifters, vampires – who knew what other fucking mythical creatures were out there, too.

_Nothing_ was simple and clean-cut anymore. The imprints were being watched carefully by Carlisle since the battle. He had noticed that since the wolves had all accepted me as their true Alpha – the imprints all had somehow stopped aging. Not to mention the developing relationship between Embry and Leah – why and _how_ the fuck that happened, I wasn't sure. I could feel the flow of ancient magic working its way through each and every one of them – and I wasn't sure how. I could feel them all as if they were all a part of me… and extension of my very soul somehow.

Like I said – my life was a bit crazy and would _never_ be the same again.

So here we were – seven months since the war, and we were now approaching the end of Nessie's pregnancy (which developed at a natural speed). We'd decided to keep the sex of the babies a surprise – only because we didn't have many things that did surprise us anymore. Being able to see them on the ultrasound and hear their tiny hearts race inside my wife was still a miracle in itself. She was increasingly uncomfortable as they grew inside of her and even more moody and short-tempered. We'd decided not to say anything to her about it, just because we all wanted to keep the peace and it took almost nothing to upset her these days.

We all tried hard to focus on the good things – keeping in mind that everything we had in our lives was because we'd all fought hard to keep it. But we also all knew that it wasn't over. There were some vampires that were now talking about the 'evil forces' that took out the Volturi and needed to be eliminated and new rule needed to be brought in to restore the 'peace' in the vampire world.

Who the fuck did they think they were kidding anyway? Peace had not existed under their reign and it sure as hell wasn't present now. Edward, Peter and Jasper were all trying to convince me to uphold what I'd said – that I'd go to Italy myself and take over. They kept trying to tell me that it was my duty – I was the peace keeper as well as the death dealer ('the ultimate badass' as Peter liked to call me) now, and it was up to me to once again restore what had once been a peaceful existence for vampires. It was up to me to put the final nail in the coffin of evil bloodsuckers once and for all and bring our races together as one.

I was Alpha, yes – but I wasn't a fucking vampire. I couldn't restore peace to the vampire world because I wasn't one of them. Of course that then triggered Peter to put in his two cents about how he could bite me and fix that problem.

_Smart ass…_

I knew deep down that they were right - I was going to have to be the one to help fix what had been destroyed – but there wasn't time right now to even think about it. Nessie would freak out and say that it wasn't up to me to fix everything –

"_Let daddy and Uncle Jasper take care of it, Jacob. You're only one man – you can't fix everything all the time."_

That was where she was wrong, but I didn't tell her that, either. It was like walking on egg shells because I wasn't sure what would set her off. I _was_ going to be the one to fix this – with some help of course, but it was my duty as Alpha, and I knew that. My purpose was clear – and I would have to once more embrace my destiny and do what I knew to be right. I was going to be the one to set everything in motion and finally bring vampires and shifters together to work as one for the greater good.

Everything was going to be up to me taking my birthright (embracing it) and making it work once more for the good of those I love.

**A/N: So there you have it – the intro to the Sequel 'And The Ashes Remain', so please let me know how you like it… Much love and the next chapters will be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2 Paradise City Here We Come?

**Hello lovies, I'm here once more with a chapter and I hope you're enjoying *aTaR*… Thank you all so much! Rated M for a reason…**

**You know the drill; I'm me – not her. I don't own Twilight nor have I ever claimed that I did. This storyline, however – is mine.**

**Jacob's POV – Paradise City**

"Jacob, would you please stop worrying – you're going to drive me crazy with all this pacing," Edward huffed loudly as I met his stare and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Well I'm sorry, I can't help but be just a tad bit fucking worried here, Edward," I growled as I once again began pacing the length of the floor in my home. The home that had once belonged to my father now belonged to me and Nessie and was currently undergoing lots of work.

Edward and the rest of the guys were all here to help me with the expansions on the house and I'd just gotten a call from Bella that Ness wasn't feeling too good. I had known that she was getting incredibly uncomfortable lately – and the babies were both sitting really low and causing her some mild pain. Bella said that Carlisle was under the impression that it could be any time now.

"Carlisle is there with her, she's going to be just fine." Edward said quietly.

"How are you so fucking calm right now? Why do I have to be the spaz, huh?" I hollered and ran my hands roughly against my face.

"Just take some deep breaths and calm down, she's in good hands," he said calmly as he approached my still form, hands outstretched in a sign of peace. "Now, you'll do her no good if you can't keep yourself under control, you know that. So, let's just keep it together and wait for word that there is something to worry about, okay?"

I nodded once and turned as the front door flew open. A group of the guys walked in, playfully shoving each other and making jokes back and forth.

This was one of the biggest reasons I loved all of these guys – they knew exactly what I needed to bring me back to being Jake.

"So, Alpha," Peter chuckled as he threw his arm around my shoulder, "How's about we go up to Seattle and take some time to be guys – what d'ya say?"

"Pete, though that sounds really good," I sighed heavily and looked around the room at everyone, including Edward as he shrugged his shoulders once. I took my time looking at each and every one of them and thought about how much things had changed.

There were vampires on Res territory – and I welcomed it. They were good people, and I couldn't imagine not having them all in my life now. It was so different from a year ago – hell, even from a little over 7 months ago.

I'd still been standoffish about them, unsure about what all of this was going to mean. The day I'd imprinted on Renesmee almost 10 years ago, I had no idea that this was where our lives would lead us. I'd never thought that our lives would change so dramatically and we'd all become what we were today.

I was unbelievably happy that this was where we were, that we'd all made it this far and come through everything unscathed – a family, closer than we'd ever been. Together we could take on anything, including my overly emotional, pregnant wife if need be.

"Fuck it, let's do it," I agreed finally. "Edward, you think Carlisle will stay with Ness tonight?"

"There's not a single doubt in my mind that he'll be anything less than happy to do it." He nodded.

"Fuckin' right, man," Peter whooped, his now orange-ish colored eyes finding mine. He and Charlotte had both decided to stay here with all of us – and therefore decided to change their diets to fit in more. Not that people weren't still getting suspicious more and more about all of us not aging – but I think they were all more scared of the reasons behind it than actually getting the nerve to approach all of us.

"Finally gonna see the Alpha get his drunk on, this should be all kinds of fun and fuckery."

"God, Pete," Embry chuckled, "Do you ever shut the fuck up, man?"

Peter simply patted my shoulder once more, shrugged his shoulders and smirked devilishly.

_Oh, shit… That's never good when he gets that look…_

"Let's finish up everything here then and then we'll head out," Emmett said with a smirk – his eyes taking on the same twinkle that Peter's held.

_What the fuck?_

"Whoa, whoa – hold on just a fucking second," My voice took on the Alpha timbre and everyone turned toward me and their heads bowed slightly in submission. Now it was my turned to grin as I eyed them all carefully. "Edward – would you care to tell me exactly what they all find so fucking funny? Or do I need to root through some minds myself?"

Edward smiled along with me as his eyes met mine – obviously enjoying the fact that I was playing with the guys like they were trying to play me. I could actually feel how uncomfortable I'd just made Peter and Emmett along with Embry and Paul. None of them liked the idea of me rooting around inside of their heads – and I could see it written all over their faces. But they were all obviously up to something – and I wasn't sure I liked that.

"Why don't you take it, Jacob," Edward answered.

"Hmm, all right," I chuckled evilly.

Peter's head whipped up and he stared straight at me and shook his head and held up his hands in surrender. "I'll tell ya, Alpha, just don't go all fuckin' psycho fire bender on me, 'k?"

Jasper and Paul chuckled slightly at that.

"I'm listening." I nodded and folded my arms over my chest once again.

"Well, I – I mean, we," Peter started as he waved his hand back and forth between himself and Paul, Embry and Emmett, "thought it would be funny as hell to set ya loose in a strip club – that's all. Get you drunk and see if you go all Alpha and shit – just to see if you could make 'em bend to your will a bit."

My lips pursed tightly together as I tried to contain the laugh that was bubbling up inside my chest and my eyes found Edward's. He nodded once to tell me that Peter was in fact telling me the truth.

"So, you want me to use my Alpha powers to what – get you free lap dances or some shit?" I laughed loudly, unable to contain it any longer.

"Sure – you know how much those things cost?" Emmett asked seriously. "It's just a bit of fun, Jake – that's all."

Embry, Paul and Peter all nodded their agreement and I laughed more. They were typical guys – and I loved that about them, too. They were all business when it came to killing an enemy, not anyone that you wanted to piss off and fuck with - but they all couldn't help but think with their dicks when it came to fun.

"We'll see what happens, okay," I laughed again and was met by chuckles and whoops from the group of guys standing in front of me.

"I may stay behind – if you don't mind." Edward said quietly.

"Come on, Eddie," Peter coaxed. "It would do you some good to get some fun in your life. You're a married man now, you're not the same virgin martyr you were before Bella came along – so come on, have some fun with us."

"I don't know," Edward shook his head. "I'm a husband, yes – but I'm also a father."

"To a grown woman who is givin' birth any day to our Alpha's pups," Peter huffed and looked to me for help. "No offense Alpha."

"No offense taken, Pete," I shrugged. "Dick."

Peter chuckled and then turned back to Edward. "Besides, Eduardo, Bella said it's okay."

Edward's eyes grew wide at that and he looked between me and Peter.

"Well, if Bella says it's okay then I'll go." Edward finally agreed. "It could be fun, right?"

_What? I call bullshit…_

"Sure, Ed – it'll be great." Paul chuckled and slapped Edward on the back. "Now let's get back to work so we can go."

All the guys turned away from me to head back outside. I grabbed Peter's arm and waited until I heard the guys get far enough away so they wouldn't hear our conversation.

"Bella really said it was okay for Edward to go to a strip club?" I asked unbelieving of that fact.

"I didn't say that, Alpha," Peter smiled widely.

"Yes you did, Pete. I was standing right here when you told Edward that Bella said it was okay."

"I never said that she said it was okay that he went to a strip club, you're puttin' words in there that never left my mouth," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Okay, Peter," I nodded as I looked at him in the eye, "What exactly did she say?"

"She said that it was okay if Edward went out with us guys tonight. I never gave her the specifics of _where_. But the boy needs to lighten up – you'd think that since he is married and gettin' some that he'd have loosened up a bit, but he's still wound tighter'n a boa around its prey."

"Though I do agree, that was a dirty fucking trick," I shook my head and then stared into Peter's eyes and leaned toward him as my eyes flashed red. I could hear him take an unnecessary breath and his eyes grew wide. "Are you scared of me, Pete?"

He didn't answer, he only nodded slightly as his eyes flicked down to my hands that were now clenched at my sides and flames began to lick up my skin.

"I think you should be punished for playing such a dirty trick on Edward," I hissed between my teeth as the flames licked higher.

"A-Alpha, it was just a joke," Peter stuttered, "I'll tell 'im the truth."

"Hmm," I murmured, "One more thing Pete."

"W-what?" he asked as he watched the flames closely – backing up slightly as they grew higher.

I blinked – my vision clearing of the red haze and doused the flames quickly, a wide grin pulling across my lips. "I'm just fucking with you," I laughed loudly.

"That wasn't fuckin' funny, Jake," Peter hissed as he looked up at me.

"Now you know how it feels," I shrugged and walked past him out the door.

"I was scared half-to-fuckin' death!" he hollered from behind me. "That was dirty and mean, man – if I could I _would_ have pissed myself!"

I chuckled loudly as I continued to walk toward the group of guys that were all running around with wood and random tools as they built up pieces to put onto the structure of the house. Everything needed to be expanded for my family to fit in my home – and now I had the means and manpower to do that.

The tribal council had given me all the lumber and tools and I wasn't going to say no – we needed the extra space for the babies and for the pack to be able to fit.

"Hey Jake," Paul grinned as he threw an arm around my shoulder, "You do know that you have to keep this shit quiet from _all_ the girls, right?"

"What're you getting at, Paul?" I rolled my eyes at him and got back to work on helping with whatever I could get my hands on.

"That means no fucking slipping up about it around your sister," he growled out and looked at me seriously. "She'd have my balls in a vice and you know it."

"You think that Nessie wouldn't fuck me up for this? Come on man, I'm not fucking stupid, 'k."

"You two are getting all worked up over nothing, those girls are nothing compared to my Rosie – and she doesn't give a shit about that stuff. She knows who daddy comes home to." Emmett said seriously as he lugged a huge completed part of the new structure over his shoulder toward the house.

"Would you _please_ stop referrin' to yourself as daddy, Emmett," Jasper hissed, "It's just fuckin' disturbin' that Rosalie gets off on that shit."

Emmett turned back with a smile and shrugged the shoulder that wasn't supporting the frame-work. "She loves that shit – just like Alice loves the whole '_Giddy-up Cowboy_' bullshit."

_I seriously didn't need to hear this…_

"Guys, come on!" Edward huffed loudly as he moved at vampire speed hammering nails into the next structure.

"Eddie," Emmett laughed loudly as he connected the structure to the house where it was supposed to go, "Just because you don't live out dirty fantasies with your woman – don't take that out on us."

"Well for your information – I have no complaints about how my wife takes care of business in the bedroom, but those are my sisters you're talking about. I do not want to know what they like to do behind closed doors."

Emmett and Jasper laughed loudly and even Paul and Embry were clutching their sides in laughter. I couldn't find it in myself to laugh – Edward was obviously uncomfortable and I wasn't much better with hearing about _any_ of them and what went on in the bedroom.

"He's been getting his dick wet for over 10 years now and he still talks like a damn virgin." Emmett scoffed as he continued to work on his task.

"How in all that's holy and true did I end up with _you_ as a brother?" Edward hissed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "You're like a fucking child sometimes."

"Just lucky I guess," Emmett laughed again as he walked back toward the other guys to work on something else. "You love me and you know it. Besides – I bet Bella's got a freak trapped inside her somewhere."

Peter flinched noticeably as Emmett said that.

"Lucky," Edward scoffed again, his eyebrows knit together tightly and his fists clenched at his sides. "I do love you, _brother_ – but it doesn't mean I won't fuck you up if the opportunity arises."

Emmett, Jasper, Embry, Paul and Peter all whipped around at supernatural speed to stare at Edward as he hissed lowly in his throat – his eyes now black as coal as he stared straight at Emmett.

"Take it easy, Edward," I growled lowly – my own eyes flashing red as I pulled the Alpha forward. "This is ridiculous and you need to calm down."

"I'll calm down when he grows the fuck up," Edward hissed again – his lips curled back from his teeth and his eyes flashing dangerously as he continued to stare down his brother.

"Dude, take it easy – it was all in fun," Emmett said quietly as he held his hands up in submission. I'd only ever seen Edward this way when we were in battle – never against his family.

"I'm so sick of you poking fun at me and my wife, Emmett. I love you, but there is a thin line," Edward sneered, "And you crossed it."

"Both of you back down," I ordered loudly, my fists clenching tightly as I tried to reign in the Alpha a bit before he exploded. "You're brothers – take it easy on each other before I'm forced to be the one to fuck you both up."

Their heads bowed slightly at the command and I let loose a low growl as I inhaled deeply trying to calm myself more.

"Easy, Alpha," Paul said softly as they all backed up a step.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus myself enough to get calm. Everyone was on edge waiting for the next shit-cake to hit the fan, I knew that. We all knew that it was just a matter of time until life would change once again and who knew who'd make it out alive this time.

We'd all faced down our own demons and enemies – and once again it would come to protecting what we all loved most. Now wasn't the time to drive wedges between those that we had fought to protect – now was when we needed each other most.

"We'll get back to this later," I breathed out calmly, "Let's just head up to Seattle now. I need to relax."

No one answered – they didn't have to. I could feel the tension drift away with the breeze and the animosity melted away like ice cream on a hot summer day, once again replaced by the easy closeness and camaraderie that we'd all developed.

"Paradise City, here we come," Peter chuckled under his breath. "Hooray and praise for titties."

And at those words, I couldn't help but swallow past the lump of fear that rose into my throat. I'd fought vampires and faced some of my darkest demons, but all of those paled in comparison to what I feared the most:

I had a temperamental wife that was hopped up with super-human pregnancy hormones waiting at home…

This could be bad – very bad indeed…


	3. Chapter 3 Doctor Feelgood?

**And – I'm back! Thanks to all who have stuck with me… this is for you! You've heard it all before, but I'll warn you again – this story is Rated M for a reason… Also, because I've had some reviews addressing this – would you like me to write an outtake about Leah and Embry when he found her and what happened to start their relationship - Just curious…**

**Also, there will be no promises as to how much I will be able to update or when – just know that in all my free time (which isn't much at the moment) I am writing. I am in the middle of working on my book and opening my own salon so my time is scarce. But I love you all too much to leave these stories alone for too long!**

**There are now banners for my stories! Links are on my profile, just take the spaces out to view them. Thanks to the amazing don'tcallmeleelee aka Stella for your work on them! I'm so excited to have them.**

**I'm not her, I don't own it nor have I ever claimed to own anything Twilight – except lots of pictures and memorabilia that cost me lots o' money! Oh, and this particular story line – she's a mine…**

**Jacob's POV – Doctor Feelgood?**

We'd just finished cleaning up the yard and stored all the tools and lumber in the garage when Jasper's phone rang.

_Shit…_

"Hello," he greeted lovingly, which meant it could only be one person – a person that knew exactly what we were planning on doing. I could hear Alice on the other end speaking quietly and lovingly, asking how long we'd be out. "We'll be back before mornin', sugar."- came Jaspers' smooth reply.

"Jazz, behave and make sure the guys loosen up a bit – things are going to get sort of crazy in the next few days," Alice said softly.

"I'll make sure, and you know I don't care about them girls," he answered. "You got a vision of what's comin'?"

"Yeah, the babies will be here soon," she said. "Jacob needs to have some relaxation before that – and he also needs to remember that whatever Nessie says to him… she doesn't mean it. She's just hormonal."

_Great, my wife was going to cuss me out…_

"I'll make sure to relay the message, darlin'," Jasper crooned into the phone.

"Oh, Jazz," Alice giggled, "You know how I love it when you talk like that."

_Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick…_

"Come on, Alpha – let's go get you dressed and leave 'im to talk to his gal," Peter said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and turned us back toward the house. As we walked my shoulders became tenser as I thought about what Nessie was going to say to me – Alice even knew she was going to cuss me out for this… was it really worth that? "Relax, Alpha – we're not really going to do anythin' that the girls will get upset over. We don't even have to go to no strip club, just a bar and kick back. You're too tense and strung out about everythin'. You need to take some time for yourself before we face what's comin'."

I nodded and looked up at Peter – he'd become close to all the wolves, especially Paul, which surprised everyone. He was a great friend and always knew what to say to ease the tension – or rile us all up with his crazy, fucked up antics.

"Everythin' is going to be just fine, Jake," he assured me as we made our way up the front steps. How could we go from fucking with each other to him comforting me all in the span of less than an hour? Things with Peter were easy – just like he'd always been part of my pack. He was a brother to all of us – and he was fun to have around. Sometimes though – he really needed to learn when the joke was over. "You worry too much, Alpha. I am the doctor here and I'm prescribin' you some R&R. Though we all know _why_ you're stressed, it's hard to see our friend and leader stressed the fuck out like this. We're all here for you – to back you up as your pack."

"Shit, Pete," I sighed – my hands shaking slightly as I paused momentarily at the front door. "Prescription or no, I'm not sure this is such a good idea. This is all just too much, you know? Why can't we just be normal and live out the rest of our existence in peace? I'm almost glad that the other imprints have stopped aging – my boys will be able to live forever with their families, but the rest of this shit – I don't know. It just doesn't make any damn sense to me."

"Look," Peter said as he put a hand on my shoulder – his typical way of showing everyone that he cared. "I get it – you know? I've been around for a long time, I've seen things that no person should ever see and I'm here to tell you – it all gets better. The agin' thing – maybe that's some sort of magic that we don't know about. Nothin' in this world makes sense anymore, but if vampires and shape-shiftin' wolves exist, isn't it possible that other things are out there, too? Maybe it's not meant to be understood, but what I do know is that Jasper, Char and I have been through lots of fucked up shit, but we're all here, we're all a part of your family now. No matter what comes after us – we'll be ready."

When did he become so fucking smart? He always knew what to say to make me feel a bit better – the tension in my shoulders falling a bit as I looked at my brother. This was the way it should have always been. The hate that I had held for the Cullens was a thing of the past – and it was truly stupid for it to have ever _been_ in the first place. I knew most of it had to do with my love for Bella – but now things were right. Everything was the way it was always meant to be and everyone was with who they were supposed to be with. Leah had even found happiness in Embry – their love for each other was something I had never expected. Maybe the 'magic' that Peter spoke of was something to look into. I wasn't completely sure what the future held, but in the end – this family, all of us, were the strongest unit I'd ever had a pleasure to be around.

"Just take it easy, Doctor Feelgood is at your service this evenin'," Peter continued, his eyes finding mine and a small smile pulling up at the corner of his lips. "Have some fun and loosen up a bit, yeah?"

"I know," I nodded and grasped the doorknob in my hand. "I just don't want to piss off Ness, doc." I sighed again heavily, trying not to laugh. Peter really did know what to say to loosen me up - but I was a nervous wreck. The tension in my body began to wane more and more as we walked into the house.

It felt so different now – with not only the additions, it was all different because I couldn't help but think about not having my father rolling around the house in his chair and hearing him snoring at night from his room.

I shook my head slightly – clearing my thoughts as I focused back on what Peter was saying.

"Don't worry 'bout that, your girl is gonna be just fine," Peter smiled as he shoved me down the hall toward my room – the room I shared with my wife. "She's more understandin' than you give her credit for, Alpha."

I nodded slightly and walked into my room – my eyes closing just as the door snapped shut behind me. My lips pulled up into a small smile as I inhaled deeply. The scent that was simply Nessie, strawberries and warm summer air, clung to everything in here and I couldn't help but take it in. She was why I had to get my shit under control – I had to be on top of my game once again to protect what was _mine_. I knew that things were going to be getting bad again – so I had to make sure that all of my pack was at their best, and all of us being strung out and stressed wasn't going to help anyone.

"Come on, Alpha – stop stallin' and get some clothes on," Peter huffed from outside the door. "Five minutes and this party train is leavin' the station – ya heard?"

"Fuck off, Pete," I growled out as I started pulling my clothes off. I kicked my shoes off and unbuttoned my jeans, allowing them to pool around my feet before kicking them off toward the hamper in the corner. I knew that we all needed this time away and that my wife was more understanding than I was giving her the credit for. Of course – I couldn't just go out and not tell her where I would be.

I walked to the dresser and picked up my cell phone – flipping it open and seeing the picture of Nessie's smiling face bringing a smile to my own lips. Just as I was about to hit the speed dial for Renesmee, my phone began to ring. My face broke into a bigger grin as I saw Nessie's number flash across the screen.

"Hey, baby," I answered, my eyes closing again as I waited to hear her voice speak back over the open phone line.

"Hi, Jacob," her voice said softly – a smile playing in her voice that I could clearly hear. God I loved this woman. "Aunt Alice told me where you're all going and it's fine. I know who you're coming home to – and besides, a bar isn't all that bad. I didn't like the idea that Peter and Paul were having about taking you to a strip club, though."

"I figured as much, and I wouldn't have done anything that could be considered less than gentlemanly," I assured her. "You know I wouldn't do that – I promise."

She laughed - a tinkling sound that my body had grown accustomed to and instantly my dick was hard.

"I know you wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what we have, Jacob Black," she said softly, her voice taking on a slightly husky tone. My girl was hot for me – _shit…_ "I know this because you know what I would do to you in return."

I swallowed thickly (my erection once again deflated) as I nodded my head – then remembering that she couldn't see me, I whispered out a choked, 'Yeah.'

"So go out, have fun – but just know this," she hissed, all tones of sexiness gone from her voice now. "If mom or I get even so much as a _hint_ from Aunt Alice that anything inappropriate is happening, you can bet your ass that you won't be a very happy camper. Am I making myself clear, Jacob?"

"Crystal, baby," I answered immediately. "I swear – nothing inappropriate on my part, or your fathers'."

"That's what I like to hear," she giggled. "Have fun, baby."

"Uh huh," I agreed, my heart really not in this anymore. Who needed to go to a bar to get drunk and loosen up? Couldn't we just do that here? Besides, the guys all knew that getting me into a strip club would be something of a miracle. I couldn't see other women – Nessie was all I could see.

"I love you, baby," she whispered. I had forgotten that my phone was still plastered to the side of my face. "Just go – and have a good time. Don't worry so much – I know I've been really emotional and all that lately. You all need this and I'll be fine, okay?"

"Oh, Nessie," I sighed heavily as I ran my free hand through my hair. "I know this is hard on you – having all this added stress on top of all that we've been through. I know that you have been stressed out and all the guys are trying to get the house finished so they will be out of your hair for a bit before the babies come. I want you to be happy and I love you so much."

"I am happy, Jacob," she whispered, her voice going soft once again, "I know everyone is working hard and that I've been crazy the last few weeks – I'm sorry. I love you so much, too. I'll see you when you get home, okay? Mom and Leah are going to stay with me at our house – if that's all right."

"Of course that's all right, is there anything that us guys can do here to make it a bit easier?" I asked as I looked around the room for a pair of pants. So what if I was completely pussy-whipped and my girl knew it – I was man enough to admit that I knew my place and would do all I could to stay in my wife's good graces.

"Just make sure that the guys haven't eaten us out of house and home – I am the one eating for three, after all," she laughed. "Other than that, I think I'm okay."

"You got it – thank you, baby," I said quickly as I pulled drawers open and pulled out a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I had the best wife ever – seriously. "I love you and have a good night with your mom and Leah, 'k."

"Love you, too," she whispered softly and I listened as the line clicked closed. I snapped my phone shut and pulled my clothes on as quickly as I could – including my new pair of black Tim's (the girls weren't the only ones with good taste when it came to clothes and shit).

I walked out of the room and ran straight into Edward – his face slightly worried as he looked up at me, his phone still clutched in his hand. Apparently he'd just had a similar conversation with Bells about our expected behavior this evening.

"I know, dude," I nodded my head at the frightened look in his eyes and put my arm around his shoulder. As scary as _we_ could be – him being a well-trained vampire with over 100 years of experience and me being a shape-shifter that turned into a huge wolf with powers to incinerate my enemies with just the touch of my hand – there should be very little that scared either of us. But here we were and we were both scared of two little women. We weren't stupid – we knew our place and we knew not to fuck with said women. I valued my balls a little too much to think of what Nessie would do if I messed this up – and I was pretty sure that Edward was attached to his as well (metaphorically and literally). "I know. We'll make sure that this doesn't get out of hand, all right?" – It came out more of a question than I had intended and I was starting to worry a bit about what the guys were planning. I could keep this under control…

Just as I said this and we walked out the front door to the porch, I caught the look in Emmett's eyes as he looked back and forth between Paul and Peter – a smirk pulled across all their faces as they all stood there with their arms folded across their chests.

_Dammit – how did I get talked into this again?_

I didn't have time to think about that as we were all rushed toward the cars and piled into them – Peter wasted no time as he started the car and punched it into gear, heading north toward Seattle.

Edward's face was scrunched up in concentration as he stared at the back of Peter's head – which could only mean one thing: Peter was blocking Edward for some reason. I thought about rooting through Peter's mind myself before I remembered what Nessie said – Alice saw what was going to happen and she was okay with it. I just had to remember to stay in control of myself and not screw up – I couldn't afford to piss off my wife.

I could stay in control of this – I was the fucking _Alpha_.

"Hold on to your hats boys, Doctor Feelgood is gonna make sure ya'll have fun tonight," Peter laughed loudly as he pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator, the car winding down the roads of La Push toward Forks and the highway at a speed only a supernatural being could manage. I looked over at Peter, his smirk growing wider as he turned to look right back at me – his eyes flashing with glee and mischief all rolled into one. "Shit's about to get – sticky."

Peter Whitlock was going to get my balls handed to me by my wife – and I would return the favor by ripping his off and burning them in the palm of my hand if he wasn't careful. I wasn't above retaliating if something went wrong tonight.

I was in control of this – I would not let anything get out of hand and I sure as fuck wouldn't let anything happen that would upset Nessie. I was not someone that could be pushed around, damn it – I was Alpha of this pack, and what I said was law… _Right?_


	4. Chapter 4 Fallout

**Hello my lovelies! Thank you all SO much for all of the reviews on the last chapter – I'm so friggen' excited that you love this story as much as I do. Seriously, you all rock my world so hard – I almost don't need to dream of Taylor Lautner/Jacob Black. Notice I said almost… Anyway, rating still remains at M; you know what this means loves. Also, if you want to talk to me or ask me any questions – add me on Twitter: angelicmethod**

**My stories are going to be posted over on Jacob Black 'N Pack due to some issues here on – some stories are being pulled due to content and other things without writers knowledge and I do not want that to happen to my stories, so this is my warning to you all that my stories may be pulled at any time without me even knowing… **

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**Again, you've heard it all before – I'm not Stephenie Meyer, I don't own Twilight and I never claimed I did and all song titles (and lyrics) used are the sole property of their owners. All I do claim is this storyline right here – that is from my own messed up mind.**

**Jacob's POV – Fallout**

I wanted so badly to reassure myself that I was in control of this entire situation – that Pete wasn't about to get me castrated for some stupid shit like seeing a pair of tits of some random girl who went by the name Diamond and ground her girly bits on a pole that ten other women did the same thing to on a nightly basis. Would the guys really take me to a strip club just to see if my powers worked there? No… No – I was the motherfucking Alpha and I wasn't going to let anything happen that would jeopardize what I had finally made of my life. I had everything I'd ever wanted and I wasn't going to mess this up over a piece of ass that didn't mean anything to me – not even a pair of tits could get me to act like a pig. Well, except Nessie's – that girl was hot… I knew I was a lucky bastard.

"Stop thinking so hard, Alpha – you're foggin' up my fuckin' windows," Peter laughed from the front seat as he watched me in the rearview. My eyebrow quirked slightly – his riddles always left me feeling like I'd missed something somewhere.

Edward's laugh caught my attention and I realized I'd let him hear my thoughts. I couldn't help it – Peter was a confusing dude, funny and witty and smart as hell, but confusing.

"He means that you're thinking so hard that steam is coming out of your ears," Edward chuckled at me. "A joke from a bit before your time, maybe?"

"Whatever," I grumbled and folded my arms across my chest – these old fuckers and their ancient jokes. "You mean 'Don't think so hard because I smell smoke', right? If you're going to insult me try updating your arsenal of jokes you fucking geezers."

"Ouch, Jacob," Peter mocked as he put his hand over where his heart used to beat. "I'm really offended – _geezers_ – seriously?"

"Well, if the shoe fits," I shrugged slightly and watched the passing scenery. We were well out of Forks now and the trees were thinning out to make room for the buildings of the city. I knew that I could trust myself on this outing; it was really Pete and Paul that I was worried about. Those two lived to cause trouble, and I wasn't above Alpha-ordering their asses if I even _thought_ they were going to try something stupid. Emmett had gotten a bit better – especially now he was afraid I'd torch his ass if he did something to piss me off (not that I really would – I really liked Emmett). We'd been through too much to risk what we'd all fought for – and I wasn't having any of that bullshit.

"It's fine, Jacob," Edward whispered as he looked over at me, his eyes taking on a serious glint as he glared at the back of Peter's head. "No one would risk messing things up for any of us, isn't that right Peter?"

"Hey, ya'll need to take it easy – I never said anythin' about doin' anythin' that would mess things up," Pete answered with a slightly offended look on his face. "I was just wantin' to have some fun. We've all been so fuckin' amped up from the battle and what's comin' next – just thought it'd be nice to take a night off is all."

"Pete," I said as I looked into his eyes in the rearview mirror, "I know you didn't _say_ anything about doing something stupid tonight, but we really have to take it easy. We'll have fun – but don't make me be a dick, okay?"

Peter's answering smile gave me all the answer I needed, but he still assured me that we'd be okay. I knew that we could all use this night away, the stress of what was coming was taking its toll on me and I knew that because I was taking it so hard, so was everyone else. The time was coming when decisions would need to be made, and I knew a fight was coming again – I could feel it deep inside of me. Something ugly was brewing in the vampire world – and it was now up to me and my pack to set it straight again.

I'd lost track of time as I thought over what was going to happen, and before I knew it we were pulling up into a parking garage in downtown Seattle.

"Well, come on guys – the night is young and we have some copious amounts of alcohol to consume."

Edward and I quietly exited the car and followed behind Peter as we met with the rest of the guys who parked a few spots down.

"You can drink copious amounts of alcohol?" I questioned, genuinely intrigued. I had thought that vampires couldn't eat or drink anything besides blood.

Peter simply shrugged his shoulders and put his arm around Edward's shoulder. "We can drink – sometimes it doesn't sit right and we have to bring it back up," Peter admitted, his face scrunched up in disgust, "But it's all about relaxin' and having a good time tonight – even if that means vomitin' later. It's probably not much different than a hangover for a human, right?"

"Sure, Pete," I chuckled. "I just want to make one thing perfectly clear here," I said as the guys all crowded together around me, whether they all noticed it or not I wasn't sure – even when were just out for fun, they all focused on me as their Alpha – grouping around me as if they were my shields. They all did make me damn proud to be their Alpha – but they also liked to cause trouble and needed to be reminded that they couldn't act like a bunch of juveniles that had never had a drink of seen tits before. "If one of you gets into any trouble tonight – there will be hell to pay. I'm being serious – and I don't want to be a hard ass, so don't make me."

"Come on, Jake – we won't do anything stupid," Embry huffed slightly as he threw his arm over Emmett's shoulder. "I may have been crazy in the past – but you know who my girl is, I value my balls, man."

Emmett chuckled as he glanced back at me and threw his arm around Embry – pulling him into a headlock. "Try not to worry so much, Jacob," Emmett laughed deep in his chest as Embry tried to fight him off. "We'll make sure that it doesn't get too out of hand – it's just a night out on the town to loosen up – scouts honor."

"If you're a boy scout then I'm a virgin," Paul laughed back at Emmett as I rolled my eyes at the both of them. They were like children – why, oh, why? "No, seriously – did the Boy scouts even exist back your time, old man?"

"Fuck you, Paul," Emmett laughed loudly as he let Embry out of the headlock. "I'm not that old, dude – Jasper however…"

"Onward, boys," Peter smiled brightly as we all made our way out of the parking garage and down onto the streets of Seattle.

We walked down a few blocks where we could hear loud music blaring from a club that sat nestled between two rundown looking brick buildings. Seedy looking, but safe in a way – no strippers… That made me feel better about the night – and I even felt better about letting loose and drinking. If there were no strippers then I didn't have to worry about someone doing something stupid because there was alcohol involved.

The pounding bass of the music worked its way into my head and my body as we walked into the place and I found myself really looking forward to a drink. When we were all inside the door, every head had whipped up to look at us – some people were openly gaping, others just looked intrigued for a moment and then went back to their drinks.

Oh good, just what we needed – a fan club…

"Well boys, let's find a booth or two, yeah?" Jasper asked as he walked forward, making his way through the crowd that had suddenly lost interest in their drinks and dancing and were now focusing on us. I couldn't help the childish instinct to roll my eyes again – but I did it none the less. This was like the plane ride home all over again except Leah wasn't here to cause some of her own brand of shit.

"It's really too bad that Nahuel and his family had to go back home," Edward said quietly as we all followed behind Jasper toward the back of the bar – two booths were open and big enough to hold all of us so we all took a seat and waited for the waitress.

"Yeah, I'll miss them," I agreed with a nod of my head. "But they have their own lives and we couldn't ask them to stay. As it is – I think it's about time to think about moving."

Our group all looked to me, their faces looking a bit stunned and maybe even a bit sad. They all had to know this would happen sooner or later – we couldn't stay in Forks or La Push forever, not while none of us were aging. The Cullens, all the wolves and all the imprints – we had all stopped aging. Not to mention the fact that the Cullens didn't smell like their vampy selves anymore (Peter and Charlotte included) – Carlisle had no answer for that. Things were more complicated now than they had been a couple years ago when we'd started hearing the whispers and rumors of what we all were.

"You all know that this has to happen," I sighed heavily as I rubbed my hands roughly over my face. "We're not aging anymore – none of us. We can't stay in Washington and just hope that no one notices more than has already been said behind ours backs. I mean, what if someone from Forks runs into Bella – or Emily for that matter? It's not like we're not known around the area and sooner or later someone is going to approach us about this." I knew this was heavy, and not a conversation that I really wanted to have right now, but it was out now and I couldn't stop. Things needed to be figured out – and I was nothing if not thorough. And I did have a tribe to protect, and that now meant finding a place for us to live and make sure we were all safe from being found out.

"What about the people on the res that won't leave?" Seth asked as he looked around at us. He was right, of course – there were those of the tribe that would be stubborn and wouldn't want to leave, but without the protectors, I couldn't bring myself to leave them there. They just had to see that this was the only way…

"We'll figure it out," I said with a slight shrug just as the waitress finally made her appearance.

She was a small girl – probably no more than 5'4" and with the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen, and a slender build that made her look so tiny and fragile. Her face was natural and pale – no make-up – and lips that were flushed a deep red. Her long, black hair touched her waist and swayed as she moved.

Cute – but she had nothing on my girl.

"Hello, my name is Kylie and I'll be your waitress tonight," she said softly as she pulled her notepad out of her apron pocket. She met my eyes and smiled as a blush spread over her cheeks before looking back at her notepad and said quietly, "What'll it be?"

Before I could say anything Jasper pulled out the big guns with his accent and ordered for all of us: "Two bottles of Patron Silver with some limes and thirteen shot glasses, and a round of beers for all of us – if you would, sugar. And start up a tab for us, please?"

"S-sure," she nodded as she wrote down the order quickly and started back toward the bar, her eyes locked on Jasper before she turned and placed our orders at the bar. Her heart sounded like it was going to beat straight out of her chest – whether from lust or the natural instinct to get away from the vampires in the room I wasn't sure.

"Layin' it on a bit thick there, Major," Peter laughed as he shook his head slightly. "Poor girl – she wasn't sure whether to run or jump your bones. Though it seems as if she's not the only one in this bar havin' those – _thoughts_ – about our little group here, am I right, Major?"

"Yeah, the amount of lust in this place is… It's not just about us," Jasper hissed slightly under his breath, "the wolves seem to be attracting just as much attention."

"So it's like – sex or flight?" Emmett laughed as he looked around the room at the faces that were watching us.

"Either instinct is natural," Edward said quietly, but then I watched as he concentrated on the girl – his eyes glancing between Seth and the girl and then back again. What the hell? "But the more natural response should be the running – though Bella was never the running type. Some girls in this state definitely don't have an ounce of self-preservation."

I couldn't help but laugh at that, but then my eyes caught Seth's and saw him watching the girl closely – his eyes following her every move as if he was calculating what she'd do next. "Seth," I hissed at him quietly, "What are you doing?"

His eyes found mine and then he looked back toward – Kylie was her name, right? – and he seemed a bit lost. She turned back toward our table and her eyes met Seth's, and that's when it happened – I knew that look and I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing – deep and honest guffaws. Of all places – of all things to happen tonight, this was _not_ what I was expecting. Embry and Quil both started laughing along with me once they noticed the look on Seth's face and Jasper looked a bit uncomfortable as he squirmed slightly in his seat. The lust vibes must have been terrible for him – obviously…

"What's funny?" Paul asked looking up from the table only to look between Seth and our waitress and a smirk pulled across his lips. "Nice, Seth – she's cute."

Seth growled deeply in his chest as he moved his body to be between Paul and Kylie – I needed to put a stop to this before Seth phased and did some damage or said something that he would later regret. He looked absolutely pissed, not that Paul would do anything but Seth was simply reacting to his imprint – protecting her. Sam moved closer to Seth, sliding between him and Paul and I watched as Seth's lips pulled back from his teeth and he growled again.

Great – we were going to have a fallout right here in the bar… brother against brother.

_Not on my watch…_

But before I could say anything, Paul snapped. "Chill out, Seth," Paul growled back at him, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the table tightly. "I'm not going to hurt her."

"Seth," my voice taking on the Alpha timbre as I looked slowly back at his imprint, her back was to us again and her breathing and heart rate were going crazy. She didn't seem to know what to do or what was going on so I looked to Edward and asking him in my mind if he could go check on her. He nodded once and then I turned back to Seth. "You will not fight your brothers and you will keep your cool – understood?"

He nodded once as he took a deep breath and his eyes closed slightly as he inhaled through his nose. "God, I can smell her, Jake," he sighed heavily as he ran his hands over his face roughly. "I want her – I want…"

"You want to relax," Jasper hissed, his body language telling me that Seth was throwing off some heavy vibes (ones that we couldn't have being thrown at our empath brother) and he was now working his freaky vamp mojo to calm Seth down. That was the weirdest imprint I'd ever seen – it was like the urge to mate was the first thing that Seth felt. I watched Seth closely as he settled down into the seat, his body slumping slightly as he grew lethargic. "You're gonna have a good night and get to know your new gal, see what she likes to do an' how old she is – maybe even ask her on a date – but I won't sit here with a problem in _my_ pants all night because you can't keep it together."

Seth smiled slightly, his eyes taking on a glazed appearance before Jasper eased up on him and Seth's posture changed and he sat back up straight, his eyes clearing. He looked ashamed of himself and slightly upset. "S-sorry," he sighed as he looked at me, "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, but I think you owe your apology to Paul," I shrugged and motioned toward our brother who was now settled back into the seat – his eyes cast down at his hands that were picking at the tabletop.

"I really am sorry, Paul, I didn't mean to growl at you," Seth leaned toward Paul and stuck out his hand, his fist waiting to be bumped in forgiveness. "I know you wouldn't hurt her – I really don't know what came over me."

Paul smirked slightly as his eyes found Seth's and then he bumped his fist. "It's okay; just don't let it happen again."

Seth nodded as he looked back over to his imprint and watched her as she was talking with Edward about something. She grabbed up her full tray of our drinks and they both made their way back over to our table. Once they reached our table, Edward sat back down in his seat and smiled at Seth. Kylie smiled at all of us and set her tray down on the table and made her way over to Seth, her eyes cast down at the floor as she shuffled slowly toward him.

She was shy – how fricken' cute was this shit? Was I this sickly sweet with Nessie? Ugh, I wanted to gag.

"I'm Kylie," she said quietly as she held her hand out toward Seth. He clasped it into his and smiled up at her before saying, "I'm Seth Clearwater, pleasure to meet you, sweetheart." Her blush spread rapidly over her cheeks as she looked at him up through her lashes.

"Hello, Seth," she smiled at him – her eyes once again diverting toward the floor. Apparently there was something interesting on the filthy linoleum that kept catching her attention. Again, gag… "Your friend Edward told me that you wanted to talk to me."

I tuned out their little side conversation and started thinking about all that had been happening lately. Everything that had happened since the Volturi had been taken out and my pack had all become closer than ever. We only had two wolves left that were without mates and I had to wonder if the magic that was working with all of us was going to fix that soon, too. It seemed as if fate was working with my pack in ways that not even the previous packs knew about. Maybe I'd end up on another meet-and-greet with my long-dead relatives and they could fill me in on these latest developments: Like the fact that even though Leah and Embry weren't imprinted – they were as good as, and none of us that were imprinted could tell the difference between our relationships and theirs.

Now only Colin and Brady were left – and I was scared to think what kind of trouble those two could get into if they did find imprints… or maybe the scary thing was if they _didn't_ find imprints. We all had so much to figure out, the non-aging and the non-imprint thing with Embry and Leah and then the moving – but most importantly the war I knew that was brewing somewhere. The war that was going to require us to fight once more and we _would_ win. I could feel it inside me, but what was this going to cost us? Would some of our family die this time? No… I wouldn't allow that to happen. The magic in my blood was telling me that this was what I was born to do – I was going to bring peace once and for all between vampires and my people on a scale that none of us could have ever imagined – but at what cost? What would happen to all of us? What would happen to my wife, my children – my family and tribe?

"Smooth," Peter whispered, breaking my concentration, as he grabbed one of the bottles of Patron and started pouring shots. "Didn't see this comin' – maybe my I-know-shit-o-meter is broken."

"Nah," Jasper said with a shake of his head. "You're fine – wolfy magic is hard to get a grasp on. I don't think even Alice could have seen this." He grabbed up a shot and a slice of lime as we all did the same.

"To wolfy magic and the powers that be," Emmett laughed holding up his glass.

"To the powers that be," I repeated, followed by the rest of our group, as I also saluted and then shot my glass back quickly – the burn making its way down my throat and settling nicely in my stomach. I sucked the lime between my lips and enjoyed the sour finish before putting the rind into the empty bowl and then picking up my beer. I took a long pull from the bottle and set it back down on the table and allowed myself to settle back in my seat and have a clear mind for the first time in a long time. This was what I needed – the guys had been right.

Everything settled down and we were all relaxed and enjoying ourselves – both bottles of Patron and 4 rounds of beer later and we were all _extremely_ relaxed, our corner of the bar filled with laughs and conversation. This was exactly what I needed…

Until Jaspers' phone started to ring at the same exact time that mine did…


	5. Chapter 5 Perfect Porcelain

**Okay, here is the latest chapter... I've busted my ass off tonight to finish this so I hope it's okay. Real life has been ridiculous, and I can't even explain how happy I am to get this out to you all. Thank you, really, for being awesome! Rock on and all that!**

**Now, I can't tell you when the next updates will be, because as I said my real life crap has taken over everything - but I am writing when I can. So thank you all again, and enjoy!**

**Jacob's POV – Perfect Porcelain**

Jasper answered his phone the same time I answered mine. I tuned out his conversation as I listened to the panicked voice on the other end of the line.

"Jacob, it's time – they're on their way right now, you've got to get home to Nessie."

"Bella? Shit, a-are you sure? I mean – of course you're sure. I-I'm on my way, tell Ness I'm coming home right now!"

I stood up quickly, my chair flying back and toppling over. Without even thinking about where I was or what I was going to do, I turned on my heel and ran out of the bar. I could hear footfalls behind me and the scraping of chairs – none of that mattered. All that mattered now was getting home to Nessie in time for the babies to get here.

I'd never forgive myself if I didn't make it home in time to see them come into this world.

"We'll make it, I swear it," Edward assured me as we all piled into cars. I didn't even pay attention to who was riding with whom. Cars were cars at the moment, as long as I could make it home I could give two shits _how_ I got there.

I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. This was it – I was going to be a father. Nessie was having my babies… right. Now! Oh, God…

"Shit, I should have stayed home." I couldn't miss this, not this. It was the most important thing that would ever happen in my life – besides marrying Ness – and I couldn't miss any part of it. I really needed to be with my wife – to assure her that I was damn proud of her. "I knew it; I fucking knew I shouldn't have come out."

"It's fine, Alpha, we'll make it back."

"Pedal to the fucking metal, Pete." I wasn't trying to be a dick, but I didn't have the patience to be cordial. Hell, I didn't have _any _patience at all. I had to get to Nessie as quickly as possible and I was about one second away from jumping out of a moving vehicle.

"Aye aye, sir!" he said with a chuckle and a mock salute.

"I'm not kidding, Captain. Need I remind you how important this moment is to me? Now drive like your ass is on fire – you feel me?"

"I got you, Jake," he answered. The car was speeding down the roads like there was no tomorrow, but it still wasn't fast enough. No, it was nowhere near fast enough.

"If you don't go faster, I'm going to fly out of this damn car like my own ass is on fire. Shit!" I clenched my eyes tightly as well as my fists and berated myself once more for even going along with this bullshit outing. I had duties at home that needed to be taken care of and I was out of town fucking off. Some husband I was turning out to be.

"You keep beating yourself up like that and I'm going to have to kick your ass. Alpha or not, you're still my son-in-law," Edward sighed heavily as he grabbed one of my fists in his icy grip. "Nessie is fine, she's in good hands. And I'm sure she isn't going to have those babies without you. She is a first-timer, it could be hours."

My eyes snapped open and a loud growl ripped from my chest. It wasn't that he was an enemy; I knew that – I just couldn't help but be in a foul mood now that I wasn't with my mate when she needed me most. I had failed her.

"You haven't failed her, now stop thinking so damn loud. Besides, Ness told you to go out. You did nothing wrong, Jacob."

"Edward, how would you feel if it was you in my shoes and Bella was the one that needed you and you weren't there for her?"

"We've already been through this before, I wasn't there when Bella needed me most – you were! Now cut the shit, we'll be home before you know it, and everything will be just fine." Edward's propriety had apparently taken a hike for the moment, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"We've corrupted you, Eduardo – your mouth is just as filthy as the rest of ours."

"You all bring out the worst in me," he shrugged. "Besides, I am technically seventeen – isn't that how young guys talk?"

"Age don't mean shit," Pete interrupted. "You tryin' to say my manners should be better because I'm older than you? Me thinks not, Eddie – I'll say whatever I damn well fuckin' please, thank'y very much."

That was all it took, the whole car was filled with the echoes of laughter as we all cracked up. That, that right there, is why Pete was my vamp wingman. There was never a dull moment with that dipshit around.

*AtAr*

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we made it back to the house in Forks, my body was back in action before I could even think about what I was going to do. I was out of the car and in the house faster than I thought possible, and I honed in on the imprint pull to my mate.

Quickly, I descended the stairs to the basement where the make-shift delivery room was set up, and I made my way over to my wife who was lying calmly on a bed, beads of sweat rolling down her beautiful face and her eyes locking onto mine. She seemed a bit too composed for my liking – and that's when the verbal diarrhea hit me.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left. Are you okay? Can I get you anything; do something to help you out? You name it, I'll do it." Verbal shit storm, check and check!

"Jacob, no offense my love, but shut the hell up," she grunted as she gripped on to one of my hands tightly. "Women have been giving b-birth for a very long time, and I'm positive that everything will be just f-fine – I just can't listen to you babble on endlessly."

Gripping Nessie's hand tightly in my own, I took the seat that was sitting next to the bed, and leaned my head down toward her extremely pregnant belly.

"You two take it easy on your mommy," I whispered softly against the sheet that was covering my wife.

"I'm sorry if I say anything… less than kind," she sighed heavily as she seemed to relax into the bed once more. Her muscles loosened and her breathing began to return to normal. My poor, poor wife was hurting and there was nothing I could do about it. The Alpha in me didn't like that one bit.

"This is the happiest day of my life, besides when I finally became yours – but this really, really hurts."

"Never apologize to me for giving me this gift, yell at me, swear, bite – whatever makes you feel better, baby." Hell, I would let her beat me within an inch of my life if she needed to.

It was then that I heard the door open upstairs. My eyes snapped away from Nessie as I listened to footfalls coming toward us, down the stairs. My back stiffened and my nostrils flared as a growl worked its way from my chest. My mate was vulnerable, and I had to protect her and my babies…

"It's okay, Jacob, it's just Carlisle and me. It's me, Edward. We're here to check on Nessie's progress."

My body didn't relax, but I knew it was safe, Nessie was safe. I nodded once tensely and watched in my peripheral as they made their way toward the bed. Carlisle grabbed the paper coming from one of the machines and looked over the readings as Edward grabbed Nessie's hand and smoothed the hair back from her face.

"How are you holding up, darling? Do you need mommy?"

"Dad, seriously," Nessie chuckled slightly as she gripped both of our hands in hers. "I'm about to give birth, I'm not a baby anymore. Isn't this just so amazing – who would have thought we would all end up here?"

She had a point, of course. Edward and I had never seen eye to eye – hell, we couldn't even be in the same room with each other without wanting to kill or at least maim the other. This wasn't what I had imagined years ago, not at all.

I had always wanted a wife, kids… the white picket fence even. So I'm a dreamer, fucking sue me, okay. But I had always pictured it differently.

Bella wasn't mine, and I actually couldn't be more thankful for how things did turn out. But I had been a young, inexperienced boy that thought I knew everything and how life would end up. I'd thought for sure that I was the man that would change Bella's life – make her a wife and mother.

Fucking idiot…

How could I have even entertained the idea that I would end up with her when I so clearly had the perfect _everything_ with Ness. We were going to have a family together, and now I could count Edward, the man I had once despised, as one of the closest friends I had. He was my father now, and I was happy to finally have a good relationship with him.

"We'll be upstairs if you need us," I heard Edward say softly to Nessie as he kissed her temple and released her hand.

I gave him another nod and listened as he walked up the stairs. Carlisle, who had stayed quiet for quite some time finally turned toward us and smiled, "Everything looks perfect, you'll be ready to push soon."

"Soon? How soon?" Nessie sobbed as she clutched my hand tighter. "I'm scared."

And the calm mask finally washed away…

"Shh, it's okay, baby," I said calmly as I kissed her knuckles gently. "You're going to be just fine, and I'm here. I'm not going to go anywhere."

"You're almost completely dilated," Carlisle answered calmly, "and it seems like both babies are going to come out – ahem – vaginally. You just have to stay calm and do what your body needs you to do. I promise you, you'll be just fine, sweetheart."

"O-okay, but… what if I do something wrong? Will the babies be okay?"

"Nessie," I said quietly to get her attention. Her eyes snapped to mine once more, and I could see the tears and nerves swimming in their depths. "We're all here to help you, the babies are just fine – I can hear their hearts, beating beautifully strong. Concentrate, breathe and listen to them. Can you hear their hearts beating?"

Nessie's eyes closed and she inhaled deeply through her nose, her lips lifting at the corners slightly as she concentrated on the babies.

"_Already such an amazing husband,"_ I heard Bella's thoughts. _"Great job, Jacob, and if you need us, we're here."_

I shut my mind off from everyone else and continued to watch my wife as she let her body do whatever it was that it needed to do. I held her hand, touched her face, whispered to her words of my love and support as I watched her do the single most amazing thing I'd ever witnessed.

One hour after I'd walked through the door to the house, just one hour, my wife delivered our first child. Carlisle said something under his breath as he moved around the room, cutting the cord, cleaning up the small bundle in his arms as a set of footfalls came down the stairs. He must have asked for some help, but I'd been so preoccupied with Nessie to hear anything he'd said.

"I'm here, what do you need me to do my love?"

"Esme, can you clean this baby while I prepare to deliver the second one, please?" Carlisle was all business, his hands working quickly as Nessie began to cry out again, her grip tightening on my hand once more.

Her face contorted in pain, sweat once again rolling down her pale skin as she let her eyes close. Her body tensed and her heart was pounding – and she'd never been more beautiful than at that moment.

"Give me a good push, Ness," Carlisle urged.

She did as she was told, my wife was a fucking champ as she bore down, her legs pulling back toward her chest and her hand tightening a bit more as she pushed with all her might.

"Okay, slowly now, ease up. Breathe, Nessie, breathe…"

My head was swimming as I listened to all the sounds around me. The cries of the baby in Esme's arms and the small whimpers of my wife as she tried to free our second child from her body filled my senses. The blurs of the two vampires as they did whatever needed to be done to help my wife – and me, sitting there as calmly as possible as my children entered the world. It was all so much… too much.

"You did an amazing job you two. They're so beautiful," Esme cooed as she walked toward us with two bundles wrapped in blankets. "I'm a great-grammy – oh gosh."

"A-are they okay?" I couldn't help but ask as I watched Nessie reach out with shaking hands as Esme placed the two babies in her arms.

"They're perfect, healthy," Carlisle assured me as he continued to clean up my wife. "You're rapid healing should help you out with any tearing. It seems like your body is already starting to snap back to normal."

"I don't even care if my body stays like this, it was all worth it. They're so, so beautiful," Nessie sobbed as she let her tears fall. Her eyes were locked on first one baby, and then the other – back and forth.

"Do you have names picked out?"

Names? Hell, I hadn't even heard what they were… boys, girls – one of each?

"Jacob, come meet them," Nessie whispered, her eyes finding mine. "Come on, baby, it's okay."

I hadn't realized I'd stood up and taken a few steps away from the bed. I was so completely overwhelmed by this moment that nothing made sense anymore.

I took a few steps forward, my legs hitting the side of the bed and I looked down. My eyes filled with tears immediately as I took in the sight of my children's faces. They were everything I'd dreamed about since Nessie had shown them to me. She'd _known_ them even then, and here they were – looking up at me.

Our son and our daughter…

"Th-they're perfect. Oh, God, they're unbelievably beautiful." I reached down and picked my daughter up in my arms, settling her in and then reached down and picked up my son in my other arm.

"Hi there, I'm your daddy. We've been waiting to meet you both for a while now." I couldn't wipe the damn smile off my face as I stared down at the utter perfection that was in my arms at that moment.

So maybe I was biased because they're a part of me and Nessie – but fuck you very much – if you could see those two children, I think you'd agree they were nothing short of beautiful. Dark skin, dark eyes and dark hair – my son looked like me and my father. And chocolate eyes, and curly dark hair with slightly paler skin – my daughter was the vision of my wife.

"What are you going to name them?" Carlisle asked once again, his voice echoing through the room around me as I continued to stare down into the eyes of my children.

"I think," Nessie said softly, "that baby girl should be named…"

We sat together in the basement as Nessie rested and her healing got as far as it could in a few short hours. She fed the babies, we agreed on names, and I knew deep in my heart… I was completely screwed.

My enemies now had something to use against me besides my wife. My children had me wrapped around their tiny little fingers already, and if someone really wanted to hurt me, all they had to do was hurt my family.

I was some completely and utterly fucked…

"Everyone's extremely anxious to meet the newest additions, is it okay to bring them down now?" Esme asked as she peeked around the corner at us.

"Yes, Grandma, we're fine," Nessie answered as I sat there, my mind running a million miles a minute.

The family slowly trickled down into the basement, all crowding around us as Nessie sat up and held the twins tightly in her arms. Our daughter, apparently already wanting to be the center of attention, let out a small yawn and stretched her arms out as her brother dozed beside her.

"We would like you all to meet our daughter, Abigail Elizabeth and our son, Zachary Elijah," Nessie stated proudly. Her eyes sparkled once more with tears as she looked down at them both.

Bella walked forward and smiled, her eyes finding mine once before she leaned down and picked up her grandson. Edward, not far behind, lifted his granddaughter into his arms and placed a kiss against her forehead.

"They're perfect, you did well, Alpha," Edward smiled at me.

"Nessie had part in it, Abby looks like her," I pointed out. Looking in to my daughter's eyes, there was no mistaking who her mommy was. Or who her grandmother was – if you had known Bella as a human, the brown eyes were unmistakable.

Edward simply smiled and began humming a lullaby to Abigail, her eyes closing and her lips puckering as she suckled at the air as her Grandfather sung her to sleep.

"Charlie and Sue are going to die when they see these two, they're just too cute for words," Rosalie whispered as she edged forward toward the babies. Her eyes clouded over slightly, and her body shook with small sobs – it almost broke my heart to see how badly she wanted children of her own. I even wanted to cry for her as I watched her handle them with such care and love…

Well shit, everyone was turning me in to a fucking sobbing child today – no pun intended.

"What a day this has been, huh, Jake? It didn't turn out so bad, right?" Emmett laughed as he let Zac grab his huge finger in his tiny fist.

"Nah, big man – it turned out to be an amazing day," I said softly.

And he was right; it didn't turn out to be a bad day. But something was nagging me in the back of my mind – a warning not to get too comfortable because the peace wasn't going to last long.

Something was going to come for us again… and soon. And I would make sure we were all prepared. Come hell or high water – we wouldn't let anything take us by surprise.

Anyone who wanted to fuck with me and my pack would learn just how stupid a move that was. And the ones that would inevitably use my family as a bargaining chip against me – would find out that I could be a sick and sadistic fuck that would enjoy every moment of torture that I could hand out to them.

New daddy or not – I was still the Alpha, and I was ready for war…


End file.
